Amefrica:

Better late, than never..

Congratz brethren!

ah! son of the soil! Ur huzzle will b rewarded. thanks a lot bro. U guys rock!

imperiouxx:

Cheers!

oga imperiouxx! i thank u sir. u b man U must knw dat u were amongst those who helped me significantly in this thread, and i am glad 2 see dat ur smileys ar still smiling and shayoing God bless ur huzzle.

iamchux:

Unbounded, pls wat type of UBA SOA did you use then, is it the letterhead A4 or the long foldable type? Tnxxx

mine was letter-headed, quite longer than an A4 paper, and had circular perforations on the left margin. IMHO UBA needs 2 do somthin bout their statements, it looks so fake!

sndrmrtns:
Welcome!

Thanks alot! its a pretty tough campus.

aekmanweb:
Congrats bro, we fit use ds ur epistle act nollywood......lol

lolzzz! it wud b an honor

sndrmrtns:
Are you Camden or Newark center?

I'm in the Newark campus.

fadinus: Congrats Unbounded....Baba God did it for ya..

you'v said it all sir

domex007: Congrats! Unbounded but your story is quite long and funny.. Lool.. Please where did you do your previous interviews?? Was it still in Abuja??

yeah i did 2 at the Abuja embassy, and the other at the Lagos consulate.

ALERT!!! LONG POST
Hi nairalanders!! First of, I'd like to thank nairaland and all those who hav mainained its existence, if not wetin i for tok (please pardon d pidgin ). I'd also like, specifically, 2 acknowledge d amazin contributions of this thread. Now, i can go on and thank d numerous gurus in d house but dat would b redundant and i may do grave injustice 2 som whom i might forget. thus, 2 all dose who readthis thread and who contributes to it, i say a heartfelt "thanks". but i most thank all doze wu where active before august last year, fo it is frm dem dat i really gained from. It has been over 5 months nw since a hav read this thread and this is my 1st tym eva of contributing 2 it, so i urge u guys 2 luk leniently upon me if i do transgress any of d traditions dat characterizes this great thread. one custom dat i do rememba, nd one dat i highly respect is that of returning to pay your dues wen u hav finally gotten wot evryone here is either seeking or has gotten.
My case is a little unconventional, or at least at d time wen i avidly followed this thread, i had several red flags. my mum, 2 brothers, 1 aunt, 2 uncles, 2 cousins all reside in the U.S. I was not sponsored by any of my parents but by my aunt who resides in the U.S. On the day of my interview my aunts foreign bank statements hadnt arrived (U.P.S suffa me sha! ), and so i went wit her UBA statement (43million) dat was slightly below dat on my i-20 (45 mills). I had no TOEFL. as u might guage frm all my families abroad, i didnt hav strng ties, heck i had very litl ties(evn my pops is hardly in d country). d day i had the interview was a friday, my i-20 required dat i report 2 my adviser on th following monday(we all knw dat it taks 2 wrking days 2 get ur prodcessd visa). also, i wasnt goig into a STEM program which everybody at d time though was advantageous in getting ur visa(i do nt suggest dat they are wrong, only that it did not do much 2 help confidence at all ) lastly, this was my 4th attempt at a visa (the others had been for visiting visas though). before i narrate my interview, let me briefly share my academic status on that day so others may b able to comapar demselves whilst prepping fo d interview (but one sud also take it into consideration dat academics is not the sole measure used by the VOs):
1-20: Rutgers, State University of New Jersey
S.A.T: 1910
High school (grad.2012): B+ avg
WAEC: 2As, 4Bs, 1C
GCE: 5Bs & 2Cs
NECO (honestly, i don forget wetin i get fo dah wan)
was then a 1st year UNIBEN accounting student
On dat beautiful Friday morning (i say beautiful nw, but i'm sure it wasnt all dat beautiful 2 me dat morning! ) I got up at about 4am played cool "Amazing Grace" music nd jst tried as much as possible 2 cool my ragged nerves. Finally, I thought, all doze tedious months of preparation, of going 2 beg sometimes unsympathetic teachers fo recommendations, of spending whole days in skull waiting fo ever elusive transcripts, of calling UPS incessantly fo package deliveries, of studying for tests, nd of preparing fo interviews. all doze efforts now depended on the event of a few hours, heck, a few minutes. No pressure, huh!? soon i was dressed in my tucked in long-sleeves and tie(1st time in my life!).
My uncle dropped me off at about 6.30 (my interview was fo 8am). it was d Abuja embassy. some small boys thought dat i was new 2 d game of visa prep. nd tried 2 confuse me wit passport photos and staplers, nd all doze stuff. dem nr knw d kyn drilling wey i learn frm nairaland! i jst bone dem (pardon d pidgin pls). anyway, a magnificent-looking girl arrived looking all confused and worried. she was for the 7.30 batch and she hadnt evn ordered her docs. didnt evn knw wich was her i-20! (nairaland good sha!) so as a sharp boy, i started forming scholar in visa issues nd "toasting" her simultaneously (i knw, i knw! bad pikin right ?) nyway, they called the 7.30 batch, nd i was a littl vexed dat i hadnt collected her number, but d security guy said 8am pips sud fall in too. so as u may well imagine, i imediately joined my "prize"... uhm, i cant quite remember d whole security stuff, but i'm definite its nothing different frm others' experiences here. fast-forward 2 d interview room.
Now i cant quite remember the VOs or their exact cubicles. there was this really cute girl at the furthest end. o how i prayed 2 b called by her! but wen she start ehn! Gott im himmell! i was glad God didnt answer dat my prayer. She asked u like a thousand questions and always came d now inevitable denial. i heard 1 man behind me whisper 2 anoder, "who b dis winch!?" there was also another lady VO wich very likely was a Nigerian she wasnt too harsh, bt she wasnt liberal either. after she'd denied like 5 folks, a boy went 2 her cubicle. i overheard he was going 2 Stanford. Needless 2 say, he did get d visa. then she went on a denying spree! then there was this cool guy VO. wot i can say about him was he was fair, he didnt seem to hav com wit any premeditated desire 2 sabotage as much dreams as he could (i knw somtimes it seems like dat ) anyway, it was him i prayed to Oluwa for. by nw i was d second person afta anoda F-1 visa dude. i need not mention dat i had totally forgotten about d pretty girl besides me! suddenly, the guy VO granted a family visa and called the F-1 fella, and i felt horrible, my chances, i thought were crushed, bcus i felt there was no way he could finish before d other two lady VOs who now seemed positively evil 2 me. while d cute lady VO was busy drillingg 1 man goin fo a conference, d Nigerian looking VO was conducting her longest interview since she came. any moment frm nw, she'll deny dis man, and well, buy buy dreams! bt her interview seemed 2 drag on and on, i began 2 think mayb God put hand fo dis matter! (apologies). then i heard d guy VO ask d boy "what state is you school located in?" for my mind i was like, mptcheww, dis boy don flex na! (apologies again), surprisingly the boy answered "United States"! i was like, WTH! i looked around and it seemed i was d only realizing dis boy's blunder. d VO asked him 2x more, nd he sadly replied with the same. i could see the sadness on the VO's face as he asked the boy for his bank statements. i knew dat he wasnt givin any visa 2 d boy. afta denying him, i quickly ran 2 d guy VOs window, even if d boy was still packing his docs and trying to plea his case. the cute VO was already calling "next applicant!" and i was like "na u sabi, i don get VO". anyway:
VO: morning dude, pass ur docs pls (dis pained me, i really wanted 2 greet 1st)
Me: (passin d usual docs) morning sir, hws ur mornning?
VO: (d guy just bone me o!...after som seconds) what u gonna do in d U.S?
Me: (stammering slightly)i am going 2 d U.S to study in order to earn a bachelor's deg...
Vo: (laughing) O.k, o.k! take it easy, and pls dont recite ur answers 2 me, right? (i nod and smile), what school do u plan to study at?
Me: Rutgers University.
VO: (raises his eyes a little and starts searching fo my i-20)..O! i see... Rutgers huh? (smiles)tell me somethin Rutgers is specially known for.
Me: it is the most diverse university in U.S (at least dats wot the admission brochure and US news review says)
VO: (frowning) no no, they'r not. tell me something they are well known for
Me: (wetin dy worry dis man naa!?) sir, i am quite certain they are d most diverse University in d U.S
VO: they are not! (i was trying to protest) *sigh* never mind, never mind... what state is...
Me: (interrupting) sir are u referring to d fact dat they played d first college football wit Princeton way back?
VO: (looking upwards) Finally! (smiling) what else cud i hav meant (me smiling back, hw i go knw wetin u mean)... anyway, what state is ur skul located?
Me: New Jersey
VO: (rapid typing) where is it located on the map?
Me: North-east of the map of U.S
VO: (looking up) thank u for that, you'r the first 2 hav answered dat accurately since yesterday (i must say dat i learnt of dis question here in nairaland)... Your aunt in the U.S. (Ghen ghen!), where does she stay?
Me: she stays in New jersey sir.
VO: (nods) same state of ur skul (i nod and smile nervously)*continues rapid typing*
ME: (heart running marathon! at least now d stammering had gone)
VO: (still typing) how many skuls did u apply in? and i mean skuls u ACTUALLY APPLIED 2 nd not jst d once u checked out, and please list them.
ME: (nodding)I applied to 5 skuls: New York Uni, Rutgers Uni, Princeton Uni, Montclaire Uni, and University of Benin
VO: (staring me in the eyes like sey we dy quarrel!) hw many did u get into?
Me: 3 of them. Rutgers, Montclaire nd Uniben.
VO: wot about d others?
ME: well i was put on a waitlist in NYU and Princeton denied me (he smiles at this. God punish am !)
VO: (picking up my tests) u did well on ur SATs, tell me, wot was d hardest qstion?
ME: (slight stammering com wan stat again!) i feel it was d essay prompt., wich had 2 do wit the potential for science and technological growth. i am very good at writing essays but this was a littl difficult 2 me probable bcus it is closely related 2 science, while i'm into the business world and am more inclined 2 d social sciences
VO: (nods all tru) i see, this is your high skul testimonials? (points at them and i nod). good (suddenly frowns, shouts) why does it say u got an F in Technical Drawing while in ur waecs certificate there isnt any T.D!?
ME: (taken aback, stamerring) i..i..t.theres a a mistake ssir!
VO: (still shouting) wot do u mean! wot do u mean! its right here!
ME: (naim i vex!) pls let me xplain (he nods) i decided not 2 register fo d T.D xam bcus i felt dat it wasnt goin 2 b relevant in d businss world wich i am interested in( but dat na lie sha, i b dy fail d tin fo SSS.3, d tin tire me sotay i drop am unofficially!). hwever, bcus i was stil a registered student of T.D in my skul, they incorrectly assumed that i took the exam and wen d lady dat prepared my testimonial did not see any T.d scores, she put an F there (this is all true though). u can call my skul principal if u so desire sir, i hav d number right here (searching my wallet, i come prepared sha!)
VO: (looking skeptical) hold on a minute, u are saying...
ME: (interrupting.by this time i don tire fo d whole tin!) yes sir. its a school mistake on d testimonial, my waec certificate is completely original and reflects d tru result.
VO: one minute pls (gets up and goes to call d Nigerian-looking VO and dy discuss fo bout a minute)...(i heard her say,"yes dats perfectly possible, happens a lot arnd here. bt u'v verified d waec right?" and he replied' "yeah don that, i was quite puzzled as to y som1 wit very good grades in all dis tests sud get that F anyway. tanks"...(sits) so, do u plan on returning 2 Nigeria?
ME: of course sir, when...
VO: (interrupts) pls press ur index finger on the blah blah blah right there
ME: (did this, and trying to respond to d previous question) when...
VO: (interrupts again) can u do dat again, and try placing it in d middle as exact as u can (stats typing like say tomorrow nr dy!)
ME: sure... i was saying that after i...
VO: (interrupts, e b lyk say d guy b nr jst wan hear me at all!) take these (stats shoving all my docs through the window)
ME: (quite shocked but still talking) O!.. when i finish my...
VO: (smiling) ur visa has jst been approved take.... (i nr hear wetin d guy tok again!)
ME (realizing dat my passport wasnt amongst d docs he passed back, i was completely taken aback, stammering) ttt-ttank you sir, GGGod bless you...(my words faded out as i staggered wit my unpacked docs all over my hands. i think he said somthing like "work hard" but i was too uncomprehending to evn acknowledge dat i heard him.)
as i staggered away from d room, i caught a glimpse at d pretty girl wit the Nigerian lady. didnt kw d outcom though.on a normal day i wud hav surely waited behind to finish what i started , but then i was not seeing, i was not hearing, i was not thinking, nr understanding anyting. wan foolish taxi man b wan spoil my day. e say 1000 naira fo drop. I tell am say e nr get sense! lol! d guy was shouting dat bcus i didnt get visa i want to insult him, "small boy like u!" i rememba him saying. i nr jst get e tym, nor did i even undertand what was happenning. i just dy stagger dy go like say i wan trek go haus! i finally did see a taxi drop for 350. me nd the taxi driver just dy laff! e dy tok about e wife, me i jst dy laff fo anoda tin. i didnt even know what on earth he was saying about his wife, we jst dy laff lyk maniacs dy go! in d end i gave him 400 and staggered indoors to stare uncomprehending at the walls for an hour.
notice dat i was not asked fo my bank statements. the interview, hwever long it seems here, was about 5 mins. in this pursuit of visa, one should always acknowledge that hwever wealthy, or powerful or intelligent you or ur parents or guardians are, there is always an added necessity of God. this is my personal view, and i am sure that many here would concur. I hav a close friend, we graduated the same high school, and both got into UNIBEN, and we all played football at his house. His father is amazingly rich, and before i had opportunity 2 get an interview, his father had already gotten him F-1 interview appointments 2wice in a week, nd 1nce d week after. he was denied all three times. while i stared, night and day at the screen waiting fo a spot to open up fo an interview (admittedly, it was my mom's friend who knws hw 2 get these spots that finally got 1 fo me). it was on d single time that i finally got a date, d weekend after wich i was 2 report 2 skul, dat i was granted. so any time, any day, i wud stress dat, it was not all my doing, but that God was involved. I am nt saying dat my friend is nonreligious(he is a good Christian as far as i can tell), i am just speaking fo myself. mind u, i am not even as "holy" as some peopl i knw, but i knw God's hand when i see it, and i hope that he wud get the opportunity to fulfill his dreams too. I also pray, that all you here, and indeed all, who hav a genuine desire 2 fulfill their legitimate dreams be granted the opportunity to do so. Amen
I wud hav loved 2 tell of the funny tale of my whole journey 2 the U.S, especially at the airport, but that wud not only b too lengthy (more than this!) but also irrelevant 2 dis thread. Suffice it to say, that on this very cold day(-15 degree.C), i am waiting to resume my second semester in a couple of weeks after a successful(thank God) first semester.
P.S. i am sorry fo the numerous typos in this. I also apologize fo utilizing pidgin English at times if it is inappropriate. and i apologize in advance fo any digression from the tradition of this thread. God bless.